


Dancing in the Dark

by jlmrogers



Category: Bon Appétit Test Kitchen RPF, Chef RPF
Genre: F/M, Needed an excuse to write them going to a concert, and dancing, and other stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:34:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21729091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jlmrogers/pseuds/jlmrogers
Summary: That time Claire and Brad went to a Bruce Springsteen cover band concert together.
Relationships: Brad Leone/Claire Saffitz
Comments: 16
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It needed to happen. This will be a couple chapters I don’t know how long, I just want things to happen when they go to a concert together. Bad cover bands, Brad absolutely bringing weed because come on. RPF rules apply, none of this is real. Let me live.

Honestly it was the best Claire could do. It was already hard as hell trying to get Bruce Springsteen tickets anyway, let alone at this time of the year, that is if he was even on tour. Basically, there a ton of factors at stake, so it wasn’t technically Claire’s fault. So, a Bruce Springsteen cover band for Brad’s Christmas gift would have to suffice. Knowing Brad though, he wouldn’t care. His eyes would go wide as soon as he read what they were, clap loudly drawing all of the attention to them, and Claire would want to silently die inside as she just laughed awkwardly next to him. She could picture that scene clearly in her head. Maybe she would give him the tickets in private. For everyone’s sake. 

It was just a gesture. They both loved Bruce, had talked about it a bunch of times over their years of their friendship, and it was one of the first things they had bonded over, back in the early days at BA when they were still trying to find common ground with each other. So it was kind of their thing. One of their little things they shared. Plus he helped her all the time, and this was her way of saying thank you. Brad is her friend, someone she considers her best friend at BA, but she’d also be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to this friend. She enjoyed the moments the touch barrier between them was crossed, him walking behind her trying to squeeze through if she was cooking and he put his hand on the small of her back as he passed. Hands working together to combine ingredients even though there’s no need for the both of them to be working in the same bowl. They were innocent, sure. But sometimes eyes lingered, glances were shared, and something would flicker in his eyes and Claire couldn’t help but wonder. Is there something there? 

So maybe the tickets weren’t just a friendly thank you. He was helpful, sweet, kind, and he deserved a fun night off to watch a Bruce Springsteen cover band. With her. 

That was the other hard part of this. She had two tickets, and sort of had to tell him that the other ticket she had, was for her. But he’d know that, right? Sure it was a gift, and hopefully he wouldn’t accept said gift and then immediately hand the other ticket off to Hunzi, leaving her standing there floundering. God she would jump out of the WTC window if he dared. 

She had to have a plan of attack. When little to know people were in the kitchen, and when he wasn’t too busy with work (or herself, really. Both were hard to find lately.) lately she was swamped researching and filming gourmet makes, and he was busy shooting or prepping for traveling. She missed him in the kitchen when his giant (literally and figuratively) presence was missing from the kitchen. He always thoughts of her though. He would send a quick text hundreds or even thousands of miles away if something reminded him of her on a trip, or just to check in with her mental state. 

_how you holdin up in the kitchen half sour? try not to lose perspective! stay on task and smile with your mouth and yoru hands!! _

_claire. youll never beleiv the bakery I stumbled on. croissant was almost as good as yours. almost_

It all made her smile, and she’d remember the advice he gave her, and try her best not to lose it on everyone as she tried to make Reese’s gourmet, knowing he was thinking about her. And she was thinking about him, too. 

The tickets had been in her possession for only forty eight hours, but she couldn’t wait anymore. She needed to give them to him. She didn’t care who was there when she did it, but she knew she had to do it today. 

“Hey Brad?”

She tapped his shoulder, on her tip toes just to do so, the envelope behind her back, looking up at him and biting her lip, trying to appear as coy as possible bur knowing she was a terrible liar with an even worse poker face. 

He smiled at her and she wanted to back out, keep things the same, but her hands were moving before she could stop them, handing the envelope over wordlessly. 

“Um.. for you.” She looked around the kitchen, no one paying them any mind, but she still felt like she on show, giving him her attention again when she heard him opening it, not wanting to miss his reaction, despite feeling embarrassed for no reason. 

“What’re... god I can’t read hold on Claire... Bruce... no. You didn’t... Claire! You shouldn’t have! Aw man, Brucey-boy!”

“Not the real Bruce, but,” she couldn’t help roll her eyes, feeling like she needed to backtrack, downplay the gift even though she was proud of it, and even more that he was happy (which made it all worth it to see him smile, wide genuine and bright.) She was being pulled into a hug before she had any say in the matter, but she let it happen, holding onto his arms as he spun her around, and she was thankful there was no cameras, just a genuine moment she could fully enjoy. 

“Brad... Brad let me down! Rapo would never forgive you if something happened to his pastry chef who will one day die at the hand of a cheap snack food.”

He smiles, and she’s sort of sad at the loss of warmth and his touch, but he’s clutching the tickets and she feels a weight lifted from her shoulders. She did it. 

“Sorry, Claire. Damn I’m just so excited! I did not expect this. Don’t even know when it is. When is it?”

She rolls her eyes, sighing but the sigh reserved only for Brad, where she wasn’t exactly annoyed but he still made her question why she had feelings for him. The man holding the tickets, asking HER when the concert is. Thank god he was handsome, a great chef, and nice inside and out. 

“Says right here,” she pulled on his hand to being it down to her eye level, showing him so they could look together. “See? Friday night, this Friday, at seven. 

“Well then half-sour, you better be ready by four if we’re gonna get there on time. I know how you are.”

Her face must have said something her mouth didn’t, and now it’s his turn to backtrack. 

“I mean... you’re comin with me, right?”

It takes her a second to register and respond, his voice softer than she had ever heard it and it temporarily stunned her, recovering quickly by nodding and smiling, twisting her hair around her finger. 

“Yeah! Of course. I mean we’ve always talked about it, how much we both love him, and last summer when we had those couple of late nights in the kitchen and we played his albums...” She was floundering, when she could have easily just said yes. Yes Brad, you and I are going to a concert together. 

“Oh shit. I can’t wait, Claire. Today is.... today is Tuesday? No.. Wednesday. Wow Claire cutting it a little close to the knife, are we? Is that the saying? Anyway that’s pretty soon. Let’s say we meet here, nice and early, on Friday and we’ll go from there?”

She could only nod and agree. 

“Friday. I promise I won’t be stuck on the oculus this time,” she smiles, looking up at him through her lashes, suddenly feeling shy and like she needed to leave to process all of this. Friday, her and Brad. 

“It’s a date!”

It’s only a figure of speech, typical Brad who says things without thinking of the repercussions, but it was too late. It was a date.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just like Brad to bring her back from the edge. As always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter, I apologize. Next one will be the concert, which I’m already working on! Thanks for sticking with me if you’re here. Also Claire would be a cute nerd and wear a shirt of the person she’s going to see. I don’t make the rules.

Claire never felt like her week dragged, it usually went by in a crazy whirlwind of snack foods and flour and sugar, but somehow this week had dragged longer than any she could remember. Not even anything in Harvard had challenged her like this (okay maybe she was exaggerating but still.) 

Not to mention all week Brad had been humming Bruce songs under his breath, which wasn’t helping her forget or focus, and every time Claire would be in the same area and hear it, something inside her would stir, and it felt like their own secret thing, even though some of their coworkers had found out about it (Chris had forced it out of her and Molly always seemed to have a way of figuring these things out), but clearly he was excited. And Brad being excited made her excited. 

_Date. Date. It’s a date._

The words were ringing in her head all week, following her around the kitchen, at home, everywhere. She _was_ dealing with Brad after all, and he did have a tendency to misspeak just a little, so maybe he didn’t mean date, maybe was it one of those sayings. ‘I’ll be there, it’s a date!’ She didn’t know. She had analyzed the moment over and over again, ultimately coming up with nothing. And suddenly it was the day of the concert. 

She was trying her best not to overthink, easier said than done. She went to work that Friday and tried to be normal, worked on some spring (yes, they were already in spring, almost summer which was crazy) recipes and tried to remain calm. Her concert outfit was in a bag stuffed in the closet, and she was second guessing it all through her lunch, wondering if everything was just plain wrong about this whole thing. Maybe she should fake sick and go home. But eventually, life intervened and Brad found her sitting eating her salad, told her how excited he was for tonight even though it was like the fifteenth time that day, his blue eyes bright and sparkling and she ate the rest of her lunch without feeling like she could get sick, and maybe just the tiniest bit more excited about what was to come. It was just like Brad to bring her back from the edge. As always. 

Brad told Gabi he would close up tonight, letting her off the hook much to her protesting but then delight at a night off from kitchen manager duties, and soon enough it was just the two of them, Claire off changing and Brad finishing up some last minute things. ‘Paperwork and pointless crap like that’ in the words of Brad. She was just focused on getting ready and stopping her hands from shaking, giving herself one last glance in the mirror and one last inner pep talk.

“All ready, half-sour? Probably better we got ready here, so you couldn’t get stuck somewhere, huh?” he asked when he heard the sound of her foot steps, everything else forgotten about, his eyes widening at the sight of her. “Dang Claire.. you really went all out huh? Lookin’ good!”

She laughed him off as a reflex, looking down at her outfit. She had invested in a leather jacket a few years back, and it barely got any wear time, that is until tonight. Underneath she had gone with a faded Bruce Springsteen tour shirt from the 70’s she had gotten at a thrift shop somewhere, usually a night shirt, jeans with a rip in the knee (which for this night seemed appropriate) and black closed toe boots with studs (borrowed and never returned from a friend she found in the back of her closet.) Her hair was down and straight, and she had only accented her eyes with some liner and mascara. And maybe also some cherry chapstick she was keeping in her pocket to apply throughout the night. She wasn’t sure about any of it, until right now and the way he was looking at her in a way she never really saw before, trying to read his face and ignore the way it made her feel inside, deep in her stomach to have Brad’s full attention. She cleared her throat to break the silence, a nervous laugh escaping her.

“Thanks, Brad. Wanted to be comfortable but also at least look like I belong. I think I accomplished at least one of those things, right?” She chuckled nervously at her own question, ignoring the way he looked her up and down and the goofy grin on his face.

“Oh ya definitely fit in, Claire.... wow! Wow. Well... I’m a lucky man tonight. Let me just go... finish this up and file it away and I’ll get dressed m’self, and then we’ll uh, we’ll head out! Sound good?” He was already on the move, not waiting for an answer which was typical, and she just nodded and sat down at the computer, deciding she could send an email or two while she waited for him. Unlike her, he was good about being on time. 

He didn’t make her wait long, and she looked him over like he had done to her, it was only fair, approving of his casual but cool outfit, and the fact that he had gotten rid of his signature hat and let his hair run free and wild, ‘for head banging reasons, Claire, come on.’ Either way she liked seeing it, double checking she had the tickets in her jacket before they got all the way there and couldn’t get in, and taking his arm when he offered it as they shut the lights off to the kitchen and headed to the elevator. Claire did her best to focus on her breathing, hitting the down button, not focused on the way it felt to have her arm linked with Brad’s, in such close proximity when he smelled like good cologne and something else she always liked about him. Not to mention fully alone, outside of work. It was all finally starting to dawn on her.

”You okay, Saffitz? Lookin’ a little lost in your thoughts, there. Not tapping out on me, are ya? Gonna leave me to go to this thing alone? Cause I kind of want ya there with me,” he said after a bit, she wasn’t sure how long it had been, as he nudged her with his elbow gently, looking down at her with a concerned but playful face. She knew he could sense a shift, too, that they were alone in a way they never were before, but she just looked up at him and smiled reassuringly.

“Are you kidding? I would never do that to you, Brad! Plus this was my whole idea. I’d never go back on a plan. Never leave you to your own devices. Who knows what you’d get up to,” she retorted back, nudging him back the way he had to her. He grinned, turning to face her.

“Oh what’s that mean, huh? I can’t fend for myself out there? I’d probably end up on stage if you didn’t show, become a new band member! Look at ol’ Brad, instead of joining the circus he joined a cover band! Ha ha! That would actually make a pretty good story.” She rolled her eyes, pushing his arm with her hand, feeling her nerves start to dissipate as they fell into something comfortable. Something, them. She felt warm when she was around him, like she never even knew why she was nervous to begin with. He laughed, unexpectedly reaching out, his fingers brushing against her as he moved her jacket aside to see her shirt more up close, and her breath caught just slightly.

“Or maybe you’re the one with the plan to join the band, hm?” His voice dropped slightly, and yeah, he was totally flirting with her. She knew it. She was bad at this kind of stuff, but she knew it for sure. So maybe it **WAS** a date. 

“You caught me. I’m done with the cooking phase of my life, onto the next: becoming the pastry chef who sings songs only written by other people, and makes them gourmet.” She smiled, her voice softening as her fingers purposely brushing against his hand that was still holding her jacket, touching the wrist of his flannel, feeling it between her fingers and tilting her head slightly. “This is nice. Never seen this one. Save this for all your fancy outings?” Yeah, she could do it too. 

“Only for the really special girls, and the really good outings.” He led them out of the elevator, and she followed, letting her arm slip back into his as they hit the cool New York City air.

“Remember I said it’s-“

“Don’tcha worry, Claire. I looked it up earlier and everything, and I remember what ya said, how it’s close and all. Figured we could take a taxi or somethin’, but it’s the holidays and there’s stuff to look at everywhere. So, walking is just as good. Give us more time, and stuff. That okay with you?”

She nodded, finding it sweet he wanted to take more time with her, tightening the arm that was intertwined with his, smiling against the chilly night air. “Hey, it’s your gift. Whatever you want.”

“Oh I like the sound of that! Let’s get a move on, Claire!” 

Her laugh echoed along with his, feeling almost dizzy at how happy she felt in this moment, biting her lip slightly as she stole a glance out of the corner of her eye, happy to let him take the lead for now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After all, it was only a cover band.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You should definitely listen to When You Need Me by Bruce Springsteen. It will make a ton of sense for this story, and fits in well in the fandom and the two of them. Hope you enjoy.

Claire shouldn’t have been surprised that as soon as they made it to the venue, which was bigger and also smaller than she had imagined and seen on her computer screen, she had somehow lost Brad. How she could lose a 6 foot something giant of a man was beyond her, spinning around in her spot she had secured, her hands gripped on the back of a chair in the ‘fancy bar with a stage’ type setting she found herself in. 

(On the walk over during a break in the conversation, Brad had pulled out a joint, and offered it to her and she decided yeah, she was going all in tonight in every way possible, watching him as he lit it and followed the sight of his hands handling it, as carefully as he would something in the kitchen, lifting it to his lips, wondering why she was secretly enjoying the sight of this so much, the stupid female part of her brain enjoying the way it looked hanging from his lips, which she had admired over the years and was enjoying up closer now on a more personal level. She almost missed it when he offered it to her, accepting it shyly and feeling like she was back in college all over again. Which she confided to him as she coughed the first time, and he laughed at the image. 

“Wow, ol’ Harvard over here smoking weed... maybe we would have gotten along those years after all.”

She smiled and nodded, taking another deep inhale before passing it back to him and trying to cover her cough in the crook of her elbow, feeling him tighten his grip that he had on her other arm, and she felt her head and body swarm with a warmth she was marking down for later.)

So maybe that had only skyrocketed her current situation: a lost Brad. Please return to Claire Saffitz. He needed a tag.

“Brad? BRAD!” She honestly wasn’t sure how loud she was being and if her voice could carry in this place, jumping in her spot when she felt a hand snake it’s way around her waist, feeling a large weight against her and knowing before she even turned it was Brad, smiling up at him, a wave of relief washing over her.

“Sorry Claire, long ass line at the bar.. probably would have been better if you had gone up there an’ batted those big doe eyes of yours and we would have gotten some beers faster, but what can ya do.” Her eyes were on his mouth again, watching his lips on the beer and she felt herself shiver despite being warm, Brad’s voice comforting her and wrapping around her like a warm, familiar blanket, taking her beer and clinking it against his, taking a sip of it to get herself together. Everything felt like slow motion. 

“Hah, thanks Brad. Taking that as a compliment,” she offered, not in a hurry to move from the spot she was currently in, crushed against Brad’s side, but he was always on the move and onto the next thing, moving them away from the bar and closer to the stage, and Claire just followed blindly behind, reaching to grab his hand when it swung backwards, just to be really sure she didn’t lose him among the crowd, her tiny fingers wrapping around his significantly larger ones.

“I appreciate your tallness being able to carve out this path for me, Brad. It’s very helpful, I wish I could always have this in public places.” She laughed, her eyes trained on the ground, bumping into him when he stopped suddenly with an ‘oof’ muffled against his back.

“Is that all my tallness is good for? What about the sprinkles? How would you EVER have access to those precious things you love so much,” he said, and she knew even in her clouded mind he was mocking her, and more importantly he was mocking her sprinkles. How dare he. 

“What is your problem with sprinkles? What did they ever do to you? Besides bringing joy to birthday cakes and cupcakes and Italian cookies everywhere?!” 

“Claire... oh Claire.. well, I guess I better tell ya. It hurts to remember, but for you, I’ll tell it.” He took a dramatic pause and she sighed, but smiled. “It was my sixth birthday, I was innocent.. young.. and my mom, bless her soul, had made me a beautiful homemade cake, she made some killer cake, I’m talking homemade perfection. And she had decorated it with sprinkles all over. Thousands, millions maybe I don’t know. A huh... you can see where I’m going with this!”

When Brad told a story, it always made her smile, and this was no different, she could only see and hear Brad, all the other people packed around them gone, hanging onto every word he said, smile plastered on her face. “I don’t, come on! Tell me!”

“Alright... well. My cousin. Aaron. Love him now but back then? Huge dick. Ten or eleven year old asshole... don’t laugh, Claire! This is serious. This is where my sprinkle apprehension comes from... anyway so we’re singing happy birthday, all fine and dandy, and next thing I know BAM, my face is in the cake. Sprinkles in my eyes, my nose, and I mean this thing was covered. My mom had layered that shit, you would have loved it, Claire. Anyway, it was in my ears and everything and it ruined my favorite shirt I wore just for my birthday.. and ever since that day I don’t know... I just avoid sprinkles. It scarred me, Claire. Scarred me in a major way.”

“Wow, what I would do for pictures from that day. Can you text your mom?” She grinned when she nudged her, touching his arm and looking into his face, trying her best to appear serious. 

“I think it’s time we get over that day, Brad. Let me show you how great sprinkles are! Let them back into your life... into you heart.” Her hand traced a spot on his chest, fingertips pressing into him and trying to see if she could feel his heart against them, her eyes slowly floating up to his face, not sure what she would call the look on his face but it made her body heat instantly, her tongue instinctively reaching out to wet her bottom lip.

** _“HOW YOU GUYS DOIN TONIGHT!”_ **

It was like a bucket of ice water, making her jump as the lights went down and engulfed them in darkness, her attention being drawn away from Brad to the stage, her hand falling from its spot and immediately reaching for her beer, taking a long sip, his attention on the band about to come out and no longer on her, and she followed suit, feeling a hand squeeze her hip, Brad’s lips by her ear. “Thanks for this, I can’t wait.” She bit the inside of her mouth and smiled, clapping when the first song started. 

————

The whole concert was a high, dancing and singing along to all the songs at the top of her lungs. Brad spinning her at one point. Claire had gotten lost in the music, the vibe that everyone there was sharing and letting herself step out of her head, a place she was frequently stuck in. Not tonight. She wasn’t embarrassed, singing loud and off key, dancing without feeling like she would be judged, so lost in it all that she was missing the way that Brad would look at her. Like she was the most precious thing in the world, and how happy it made him to see her happy, dancing like a crazy person but carefree, which was definitely new for Brad. He never got to see Claire Saffitz like this. He got stressed out, close to a mental break down Claire. This Claire was new to him, and he wanted to see so much more of it. On more than just this occasion. As much as he possibly could. As much as she would let him. 

** _“Grab somebody you love for this one, folks. This is ‘When You Need Me.’”_ **

Claire knew this song, sure it wasn’t one of the more popular ones, and it was a little slower, emotional song. She loved it. She loved the message behind it, and she definitely hasn’t expected it to be sung tonight. 

“Whatcha say, Saffitz? Wanna dance?” He was holding his hand out for her to take, and with a quick glance around she could see couples dancing close, her gaze darting back to him, swallowing and nodding.

“Sure.”

She took his hand, the lyrics swirling around them as they fell into place, moving in time to the song. 

_when you need me, call my name  
Cause without you my life just wouldn’t be the same  
If you want me, come sunny skies or rain  
When you need me just call my name_

The irony, Claire thought. It was basically an anthem for their relationship, friendship, whatever went on between them. Claire would be the first to admit she needed Brad, she did. She needed his positivity and brutal honesty, shiny sunshine outlook on life. But she knew Brad needed her, too. He was just quieter and less whiny about it. He would seek her out and corner her on a recipe, ask for some guidance and advice if he felt stuck. Vent to her when something frustrated him, which was rare but it happened. They were a well-oiled machine, there for each other at all times. Thinking about it along with the sweet words made her smile, and Brad didn’t miss it, leaned down and in nice and close to make up for the height issue, his voice soft. 

“Whatcha thinkin about, Claire?”

She shook her head, taking a deep breath as she scanned his face, shrugging. “Oh ya know... the lyrics to this song. ‘When mean days come along, we’ll stand together and take them on’ .... it’s very us. You and me. Don’t you think? I never... really noticed that before. And it just... made me smile. I like this song a lot.”

It took her a second to realize Brad hadn’t responded or said anything, and they had just continued to dance for the rest of the song, not really noticing it had ended and everyone else had pulled away to clap, ready for the next one, and she wasn’t exactly sure when his hand had left the warm spot on her side and was touching her cheek, tilting her face up to his, but she was ready, leaning up on her tip toes to close the distance and press her lips to his, eyes closed and pulling him closer to her, wanting this forever. For as long as she could remember. Since that first day in the test kitchen when he had spoken to her, she had wanted to kiss Brad and now she finally was. It was overwhelming, and it made her feel even more hazy, moaning softly against his mouth as his calloused thumb brushed against her cheek, holding onto her like she’d break or move away but she didn’t dare, happy that he didn’t wear a hat and running her fingers through his hair, nails scratching and teasing along his scalp and earning a noise of approval from him, hips pressed against hers. 

“Brad...”

“Makin’ me miss the song,” he mumbled against her lips, and with her eyes still closed she could feel his grin, her hands gripping his shirt beneath his jacket, pushing against him as her eyes slowly opened, finding he was already looking at her. Her turn to take the lead.

“Over there,” she stated with as authority she could muster in this moment, which was hard and she knew it came out as more of a huffy need, especially when he was still pressed against her, but he let her push him backward through the crowd and away from the stage, to the more abandoned and sparse part away from the music and more importantly out of prying eyes, jumping slightly so she could wrap her arms around his neck, his hands holding her in place and kissing him hard, the music happily forgotten about now that she knew what it was like to kiss Brad Leone. After all, it was only a cover band. This was the real thing.


End file.
